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News Briefs for October 10, 2013

•Pernod Ricard is returning its Pernod absinthe to its original recipe. The brand’s revamped formula was reconstructed in a two-year process from records that show how it was made in the 1800s, prior to the U.S. ban on absinthe from 1912-2007. Changes include a move from neutral grain to neutral wine spirit for the base, with grapes sourced from Languedoc as specified; the usage of grande wormwood sourced from Pontarlier, the historical home of the brand where the original factory was founded in 1805; and natural coloration through the maceration of green nettles, instead of added dyes and artificial colors. The remade Pernod (136-proof) will first appear at several leading New York City retailers, priced at around $68 a bottle.

•Total Wine & More has signed its second lease in Minnesota, following its decision to enter the state by the end of this year. According to local news reports, Total Wine’s second Minnesota outpost will be located in Roseville, just east of Minneapolis, and is currently pending city approvals. The move follows Total Wine’s recent lease-signing in Bloomington, Minnesota, which, in addition to being its first in the state, also marked the retailer’s first expansion into the Midwest. Headquartered in Potomac, Maryland, Total Wine operates more than 95 stores across 15 states.

•Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka, the brand created by golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, has announced a distribution partnership with Glazer’s, which will handle the label in all of its markets going forward. Glazer’s operates in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Dallas-based distributor was already wholesaling Fuzzy’s in Indiana, the first market launched for the brand (and site of its headquarters in Indianapolis). Fuzzy’s is now in 36 states across the U.S.